ProphetStuck
by addison-lovelace
Summary: This is an in-progress story i'm writing for NaNoWriMo. This is a world of headcannons and different thoughts. Enjoy. THIS IS AN AU.
1. Prologue

Thank you for reading

* * *

In the shelter of the dark night, lit dimly by the millions of stars, a grub was born under the Gemini constellation. Here, in the dark caverns, only lit by small glowing lanterns was life first started. Along with hundreds of other grubs varying in shape, size, and color were pushed forth down the cavern by the jade blooded servants, until their eggs hatched open and six little black legs crawled forth into the dim light. It was here that they began their journey to the surface, crawling and wriggling over one another until they broke free, surrounded by hundreds of white beasts waiting to pick their grubs.

As the initial line grew shorter and shorter, our small yellow hatching with two distinctly colored eyes was left standing alone. His small black talons clacked against the stones, looking frantically for someone who would take him in. The Lusii around him mumbled in hushed tones around them, looking towards the small feeble child.

Before long, a tall Byclops walked towards the tiny creature, scooping it into his giant hand before storming off. The yellow grub looked up at his new parental figure, giving a soft squeak before settling down in the warmth of its hand. Together they would grow and find a suitable place to build a hive.

The grub was brought up with a simple name, named after the stars his Lusus found him under. Pollux Castor.

They were the two largest stars in the sky that night that he crawled from the caverns. Byclops had thought it was a rather ingenious name, and Pollux himself even seemed to like it. It was fitting for his class. A yellow shell usually meant this grub was a yellow blood. Byclops wasn't too smart, but he knew that much at least. His eyes meant he was special. That much was given.

As sweeps passed, Pollux grew. As did his abilities. Soon the wriggler at just 3 sweeps old, was able to lift himself into the air, holding onto building materials. He giggled, sending himself flying into the air, putting blocks down on his hive. Byclops hunted as best as he could, getting food for the young one and himself. With his size, he could crush beasts beneath his feet. The food was scarce in the desert, as were many things, but that couldn't be helped.

The young psionic would mumble things to his lusus. The boy found it troublesome to speak. He was mutated, and his tongue was split. It caused his speech to be slightly hindered and he preferred to write in the sand of the desert than to try and fumble through his words, avoiding the ones that contained the letter S.

This was a futile effort though. Byclops couldn't read.

It was on the 11th night of the 6th perigree of the 4th Alternian sweep of Pollux Castor's life that everything changed.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter one. I've surpassed my word count for day 1 and i'm keeping on going! Enjoy!

I apologize if this repeats a lot, I was writing this at 1-3 am this morning.

* * *

Blood.

There was blood everywhere. Pollux had never seen so much blood. A bag had been placed over his head as he felt his stomach lurch. He fought off the urge, cringing and whimpering at the tugging on his limbs and mind. He sparked his powers, which alerted his attackers. They pinned him to the ground and ripped the bag off his head.

"I knew he'd fight back." One man said, brushing his hair from his face, an angry sneer on his features.

"Give him the shit." Another said. Pollux looked around, eyes wide. He felt a hand over his mouth. His psionics flared out, reaching, grabbing onto anything he could. Before he could do anything, his mouth was pried open and a sticky, gooey substance was poured into his mouth.

"That'll shut him up."

...And it did. The liquid tasted horrible. It was thick and gummy, and he fought to spit it out, it was impossible. It stuck to the sides of his mouth as they watched him struggle to swallow it.

"Man, they said it'd do it. It's true. Get the bag back on him. We don't have much time left. C'mon or we don't get paid!"

Pollux screamed and squirmed, his nails tearing at whatever he could get a hold on. He didn't want to go. He had seen them hurt his lusus...the one thing he loved. The only thing he had ever known. He flailed his arms about, fighting the restraints. He tried to tap into his powers...

Nothing happened.

His eyes went wide, looking at the men with frightened, nervous glances.

"Guess the gel shit actually works. Who whoulda thought..."

Pollux felt a bitter feeling rise in his throat. The young wriggler fought back tears. The bag was placed over his head again and he was tossed into some mechanical device. He whimpered, feeling metal jab against his ribs. He spat, feeling whatever was in his mouth come loose, spilling into the bag. The gel left his mouth tingling, feeling dry. He coughed before screaming as loud as he could. He flailed around, kicking and screaming. His foot hit something, and a soft voice whimpered back.

"Stop." It simply said. Pollux hesitated, crying harder now, tears streaming down his pale cheeks. This isn't what he wanted. This wasn't it at all.

He felt the ground beneath him give a steady roar as the engine of the machine sprung to life, heading through the desert, kicking sand up into the air. He smelled it, coughing and spluttering against the bag, curling into a tight ball.

No one was there to comfort him. His lusus wasn't there to pat him on the back and tell him it was okay in the only way he knew how. He already missed the soft grumblings of his giant bipedal caretaker. He couldn't stop replying the scene in his head. He cringed at the bitter thought.

There had simply been so much blood.

Pollux secretly wished whatever was to become of him would make his lusus proud, no matter how utterly painful his death had been.

It wasn't long before the truck came to a grumbling stop, the engine quickly being turned off. Pollux opened his eyes, still seeing the dim light of the stars and the two moons through the sheen of the bag. He sniffed, shifting his weight so he could sit up. He was grabbed quickly, thrown over someone's shoulder. He didn't struggle. Instead, he laid still, acting as if he were asleep. The thing that carried him let out a disgraceful snort as it set him down, the bag being roughly lifted off his head, his hands and legs being unbound.

When Pollux opened his eyes, he didn't expect to see what he saw.

The young psionic looked around. The room was filled with others like him. Young and middle aged filled the room from wall to wall. They sat in rows by age. The youngest were in the front, oldest closest to the walls. The building was small and square. There was a door at both ends, leading to unknown destinations.

"Why have we been brought here?" A middle aged boy asked, his eyes narrow. Shouts and screams echoed in the room, a few young ones crying. Pollux rubbed his nose as a very strong, powerful looking man walked to the front of the room, standing by everyone. Several others stood by, their eyes dark and narrow, their postures looming.

"Silence!" He shouted. The entire room went quiet, "Good. Now listen up. All of you fucking wrigglers have been brought here for a reason. Psionics, pissbloods, as you all should be aware, are in one of the lowest castes on Alternia. Here, starting tonight, you will all fulfill your roles in this caste by starting your training. If you're lucky, a nice master will come and pick you to be their personal slave. If you aren't lucky, you'll die." A few protesters stood, shouting and arguing that this wasn't right.

"SILENCE!"

A loud boom was heard, and everyone quickly quieted themselves, most of the young ones sniffling, tears quietly running down their cheeks.

"Any others who voice insolence will be taken outside and executed publicly. Have I made myself clear?" Several nodded, "Good. Now listen up. Everyone will be divided into groups. These groups will go out at set times and train. Until then, everyone is to sit still and quiet. Anyone who causes a scene will be taken out back. Do not take this threat lightly." The man growled and walked through the door in the back. People began whispering, looking around with wide eyes. Pollux sniffed, rubbing at his nose again, blinking his eyes. People were staring at him. Everyone here had normal eyes...two that looked exactly the same. He had seen his eyes in the reflection of the water they had collected once. It was strange. He asked his lusus about it, and he just shrugged it off like nothing had been said. Pollux never wondered about it after that.

Groups of people were called out to stand from different corners of the room. One by one they filed out into that back room. Pollux figured it was another part of the building. Some time passed and the youngest group was called forth. They stood in a single line, walking towards the back door. One by one they were given a number. Pollux walked just past the door way. A hand was placed on his head.

"222. Remember that number." He was ushered forward, eyes following the troll in front of him. One by one they were taken down into the depths of the building.

Down the ramp all the psionics went, leading to the massive underground training facility. All the teams went their separate ways, taking different corridors to different areas. Pollux couldn't help but glance around, looking up at the metal infrastructures and high vaulted ceiling. The youngest group was taken to a room decorated in shades of blue and red. Pollux liked this room.

"This is the nursery. This is where you'll be staying until you reach 5 sweeps. You will return here every morning after training with your elder master and you will be put in bed." The man left, the heavy iron door shutting behind him, locking. The small group of young psionics looked around at the room. There were toys for them to play with, books to read. Pollux walked over, picking up a book, flipping through it. He smiled, looking at the pictures with princes and princesses. He wanted nothing more than to simply look through these books of fantastic stories and dream about the worlds they inhabited.

"You can wead?" A small girl came and sat down next to Pollux, looking over the edge of the book. Pollux glanced over at her, nodding slowly. Was it rare for a 4 sweep old to be able to read? He guessed he was really smart for 4 sweeps. One day he had just been sitting around the new foundation of their hive when he had stumbled across something that had writing on it. He had held it up to his lusus and tried to explain the best he could, but Byclops couldn't read. Pollux had fought as hard as he could to teach his lusus what he had learned, but to no avail. Byclops would fall asleep at the start of learning a lesson, and Pollux would just give up.

"Howd you learn?" The girl asked, gently papping the book with her hand, trying to get his attention.

"I don't know." Pollux replied, closing the book. "I jutht..." he bit his tongue, turning away. That cursed "s" sound. He hated it. The girl perked up, looking at him with confused eyes.

"The way you talk is weird..." She said, standing up and walking off. Pollux sighed, opening the book again, continuing to look at the pictures. Maybe if he just stayed quiet and thought about the world in these books, things would be alright.

There was something else Pollux noticed about the room. There were beds lining the walls, small little cots just big enough for one about his size to lie in. He guessed this was a place for them to be living until they reached 5 sweeps...and who knew what would happen to them then. He looked around some more, frowning at the lack of activity. It was boring. He stood, walking to another corner of the room, finding some toys to play with.

No one would play with him. Maybe it was because he was different than everyone else. They stared at his eyes. They mocked his way of speech. They teased him. How could they do that, Pollux thought. They were all here for the same reason...and he couldn't make friends with any of them. He sat alone most of the night, until someone came to get them just before dawn to take them out to the desert.

It was time to train.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is really short, I apologize. I didnt really know of another way to end it and I didnt want to keep pushing forward.

Anyway, Enjoy!

* * *

"Lift it you psionic dogs! LIFT!"

The command was simple enough for the youngest troll at simply 2 sweeps could understand. In a circle, the young psionics stood, hands outstretched, attempting to lift a huge boulder.

"LIFT!" The leader cracked the whip in the air, startling the youngest, causing him to lose focus. Pollux pushed forth more power, the rock cracking as he did so.

The massive boulder cracked and broke into hundreds of pieces.

"Alright." The leader looked absolutely furious. "Who, in this tiny group, did this?"

Pollux didn't want to admit it. No one wanted to admit it. Their master looked absolutely livid. He walked around the now broken remains of the stone in the middle, looking at every single one of them.

"You," he said, pointing to Pollux, "you look guilty. Come with me."

Pollux whimpered, looking down at his feet. The master waved his hand, getting the attention of another guard.

The young psionic looked over, following the man into the building. Nerves wracked his whole body.

"How old are you." It wasn't a question.

"F...four thweepth..." Pollux whispered, mentally cursing himself for his stupid speech. He bit down on his tongue, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to keep the muscle still.

"You don't look it." The man replied, glaring at the tiny boy. "How can you be only four sweeps and be this powerful?" Pollux shifted, shrugging his shoulders. To be honest, he didn't know. He made eye contact with this master. It was strange. The man wasn't angry. He was surprised. His face expressed sheer shock at the fact that a four sweep old wriggler was almost as powerful as he was, if not more so.

"Am...I in trouble?" Pollux asked, eyes wide, fear clearly etched into his face. The man before him opened his mouth to speak, but quietly shut it.

"No." He replied, letting out a soft, agitated sigh. "No, You're not in trouble." Pollux breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," the man stated, "you will sleep in the nursery today, but tomorrow you will move into the area for older psionics. Is that clear?" Pollux nodded. So much for that, he thought.

"Good. I'll take you back to the nursery. You may just be our new star." He grinned, leading the way, making sure Pollux was following him. What on Alternia did that mean? He pushed it from his think pan, concentrating on not asking tons of questions. He didn't think his master would like it very much if he did that.

The walk back to the nursery was a short one, taking just a few short minutes through the facility. He was ushered inside by the man, whose name still hadn't been given to him. He sighed and thanked him with a soft nod of the head. He walked over to one of the beds, frowning as he sat down on it. It cold and hard, nothing like it had been sleeping against his lusus. He missed him already.

The feeling of loneliness hit him hard. He curled up on the bed, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He sniffed, tears running down his cheeks. He touched his face, pulling back to show the translucent yellow liquid on his fingers. He bit his lip, grabbing the pillow to push his face into.

He gave it to whomever it was who designed this facility. It was nice. Everything about it was nice. The only part of it that he disliked was the fact that the people were cruel...no one wanted to speak to him unless it was for his number, telling him what to do.

The first and last day in the nursery was a sleepless one. Pollux lay awake, looking at the ceiling above him, trying desperately to catch at least a little bit of shut-eye. He knew he was going to be put in a different group...hopefully someone there would take him under his wing. There was something however, as Pollux fought to fall asleep, that wouldn't leave his mind. The man had said he was powerful. Was he? It was something he had never thought about. He had noticed in the training session...the others were struggling to lift the rock. Pollux on the other hand knew that he could have lifted the rock with a little bit of effort, and because he pushed forward to help, the rock cracked under the pressure put upon it. The man said something about making him the next star...what did that mean? Was he growing at a rate others didn't? Did it have something to do with the fact that he had a bizarre split tongue, and two different colored eyes? Was that something to do with it?

The thoughts got to be almost too much for him. He held the sides of his head, feeling a headache coming on. He whimpered, pulling his knees to his chest. Before the young wriggler knew it, he had fallen asleep, the sun already high in the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

"You get a room to yourself. Once you reach 6 sweeps, you'll be put in with someone else your age. Until now, enjoy the time alone. Meal bells will ring and someone will come get you. Don't think just because you've got a little more power in your body that you own the place. Get dressed. Lunch is soon."

Pollux watched as the giant door shut before him, leaving the room in near darkness. His powers sparked, sending streams of red and blue light across the room. The light flickered on. Interesting, Pollux thought, there was no power switch. Was everything in this place run solely on psionic power alone? He walked over to his bed. Placed there was a yellow and black uniform. The uniform consisted of a yellow pair of loose pants, a pair of black boots with yellow trim, and a yellow shirt with a black sign on it. He took a closer look at the sign. This sign was his. It filled him with a bit of joy, seeing the sign his lusus had given him made into his uniform. He picked it up, quickly changing from his ratty looking cloak to this new outfit. It was a little big. He slid the shirt on over his head, tugging at it, trying to see his sign. It sat right in the middle on his chest. He sat down on the bed, tucking the legs of the pants into the boots like he had been instructed to do. He stood and looked in the mirror.

Two bi-colored eyes stared back at him. He had to admit, they did look a little creepy. Most trolls had yellow parts...but his eyes were completely void of the yellow color. He stuck his tongue out, seeing how the muscle split right down the center, all the way back into his throat. He stuck it out as far as it would go, watching both sides twitch. He spotted something behind him. There was a yellow and black headband laying on the ground in a crumpled heap. He walked over to it, gently picking it up. He had seen psionics around him wearing them. He stretched it over his head, fixing it behind his ears, holding hair from his eyes. He made a distasteful noise, giving it a tug, letting it smack back against his grey skin.

Pollux heard the bell for lunch. A tall, strong looking male came and opened the door to his room, giving him a look over.

"I see you can dress yourself." He said. "Four sweeps and being able to do that...Hnn." The man shrugged his shoulders, grumbling softly under his breath as he led the young psionic to the mess hall.

* * *

Days and nights passed quickly. Every day was the same schedule: Wake up at dusk, first meal, training, second meal, training, third meal, lessons, bathing, and bed...wash, rinse, and repeat. It got tiresome.

Before Pollux even knew it, a sweep at the facility had passed. It was the sweep anniversary of his kidnapping. Psionics had come and gone in that sweep. He had lost people whom he had made friends with. Highbloods had taken his friends away. The higher level psionics were bitter towards the young one in their group, and ignored him. He preferred to spend his time alone, standing off from everyone else. He trained in as much silence as he could, since his master would scream at the top of his lungs to shout commands. He was sure it gave everybody headaches.

Even without his yelling, Pollux still found himself overloaded with powers. His psionic, electric based energy caused him a lot of problems. He had gone through six different lights in his room because a sudden burst of power in his sleep had busted the lamp. They told him that eventually he'd have to do everything in his room in the dark if yet another lamp was broken. This didn't bother him. He didn't mind working in total darkness. His eyes, which gave off a slight glow, helped him see in pitch black. It made him have the advantage over his group members when it came to trials based in pitch darkness. He could see when things were tossed his way during training. It was on less bruise he had to deal with later.

Even with these new found abilities of his, something felt wrong. His head ached more than not, and he spent a good majority of his time, when he wasn't in training, in the infirmary being treated by a sweet old brown blood.

"Honey, what's the matter? Do you have a headache again?" Pollux nodded gently, holding the sides of his head as he did many times before. "Lay down, you know the drill." She moved around the infirmary, grabbing a small blanket and a pillow as Pollux laid down on the cot, curling up in a ball. The nurse maid returned, placing the pillow gently under his head, placing the blanket over him.

"You know, these headaches are getting worse. Perhaps I should put you on a medicine regimen?" she shrugged her shoulders, taking a seat next to him. Her long spindly fingers made quick work in his hair, rubbing his temples where it hurt most. She was used to the sparking of psionics, and the shock that snaked up her arm every time she got too close to their eyes. She treated all of these psionics as her own children, making sure each one was taken care of, and with that came the occasional accidental spark or two that sent her head reeling.

"Here, let me get you a little pain killer or something...something to make the pain a little more bearable." She stood, moving to the cabinet, working quickly to find some herbs and some sweet things to sweeten the mixture. She made quick work of mixing and pouring the sweetened mixture into a cup, placing a spoon in the cup before retuning to Pollux's side.

"Here, Pollux. Sit up and take this. I sweetened it with honey, your favorite." She smiled, gently nudging him to sit up. Reluctantly, the small troll sat, his barely open as he gently reached for the cup, looking into the sickly green mixture.

"Ewww groth..." He said, making a face, pushing the cup away.

"Child, it will help you feel better. Eat up. I know you don't like it but it will help your head and nothing else has seemed to work." she sighed, shaking her head. "You need to take this. I know it probably tastes nasty, but come on, you're not gonna get any better with that attitude." Pollux grumbled, taking the spoon and shoving a good chunk of the mixture into his mouth, swallowing it.

"Yuck!" he cried out, trying not to spill the mixture all over the bed.

"Let me get you some water. One moment." She took the cup, setting it down on the table near the cot, before she got up and grabbed him some nice cool water. "Here child. Drink." She sighed, watching him chug the water quickly, obviously thirsty.

"I'm ashamed at them trainers...they should know younglings like you need lots of water and food to live...I'm surprised you're not sicker than you are..." She watched him as he drained the glass, taking it carefully from him, setting it aside. "Lay back down. You need to rest up now." The small Psionic listened, curling up and falling asleep quickly. The nursemaid smiled and gently patted his hair and sighed.

"You're special kid, Real special."


	5. Chapter 5

The headaches never got any better.

In fact, they got worse.

Pollux was taken from training every day, taken straight to the infirmary, given to the old nursemaid for her to deal with him. On occasion, she gave him medicine and fed him warm food. Most of the time she let him sleep. The poor dear, she would say, malnourished and overworked. She often talked about getting meat on his tiny little bones. However that worked, Pollux wondered, it would be a blessing.

He was smaller than your average 4 sweep old troll. Skinnier. Every bit of fat on his body had been burned off by excess psionic energy. There he stood amongst tall, strong trolls as a medium height, slender troll. The only thing that stood out was his horns. All four of them curved upwards arching gracefully over his head. A good sign of how healthy a troll was to see how strong their horns are. Many in his group had broken or chipped horns. Luckily, at four sweeps, he was much too young to go through any sort of training like that. Only psionics older than six sweeps could go through physical training. Many psionics were sent off to be personal slaves, doing little jobs here and there for their masters, while others became slaves for physical labor.

He rolled his eyes at that. Why couldn't they just be free? He didn't want to go off to be someone's slave. Granted, even at the facility they were taught the basics of what they needed to know as servants to the highbloods, along with how to basically protect themselves. However, most of the work that they did was meant as busy work to get up their strength. Pollux thought it was simply pointless, but did it to avoid punishment. Everyone wanted to avoid punishment.

Even as his headaches had gotten worse, he still tried to at least stay positive.

"Willow?" He asked one day, looking towards the kind nursemaid.

"Yes, sweetie?" She replied, turning her attention to him, brushing a bit of her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Why am I different?" He asked, his eyes wide. He held a cup in his hands, warming them. She sat down on the edge of his bed in the infirmary, looking at him with her big brown eyes.

"Well, hun, for one you're very smart. An' there's nothin' wrong with being different. Now if it's a question of you bein' different than all of 'em mean horrible trainers...that's a different story." She said, "Those trolls are horrible and I don't even see how they got their jobs in the first place. It sure is a miracle." She laughed a little bit. "Now don't let anyone know I said that. Only 'em subjugglators talk of miracles like that." Pollux nodded. He understood that at least.

"I mean...why do I look different? My eyeth mothtly...and the way I talk?" he asked.

"Well, dear, you're mutated."

That felt great to hear, Pollux thought, scowling a little bit. Mutated? The trainers talked about mutations like they were death worthy. He was the only one in his group that had two sets of horns, and probably the only one in the entire facility to have two tongues and who knew what else? He sank down a little bit, in the bed, looking down into his tea. It wasn't the least bit interesting. Just a plain black tea made with herbs to try and soothe his headache.

"You're alive ain't yah?" she said, watching him. "Your lusus picked you. For a reason too, I'm sure of it." She grinned, patting his arm. "Now drink up. You need to get rid of that headache before you get put back out there on the field tonight. I hear a storm is rolling in later tonight. That wont be good for you younger ones out there. Dust storms are dangerous." She rubbed his back gently. He downed the rest of his drink, making a bitter face.

"I know I know." She said, giving a sympathetic smile. "Now lay down and stay quiet. Get some rest." She stood and flicked the lights off.

Pollux laid down, his eyes closing tightly as he relaxed. After a little while his headache dulled down to nothing, but as he fell asleep, his mind drifted.

He began to dream.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay.

This story is also on my AO3 now.

/works/529644/chapters/938573

It will be updated the same as it is here, hopefully more frequently.

It will also be illustrated.

* * *

It was a dark place. Pollux couldn't even see the glow from his eyes. It was pitch black. He heard jumbled words, whispers and shouts from all around him. Just what was he experiencing?

The young troll looked around, seeing no one. He saw nothing but black.

"Who are you?!" He shouted, hearing the voices get louder. He felt someone grip his shoulders. He turned around, eyes wide.

Staring back at him was a set of bright blue eyes. Just eyes, nothing else.

"Young prophet please look at me with your eyes and see; For I too am a prophet like you, please believe me. Your world is not safe. I come bringing words of wisdom."

Pollux stared up at these eyes, his face twisted in horror. He shoved himself away as much as he could, the hands on his shoulders tightening even harder as he tried to flee.

"No! NO!" He cried out, trying to push the hands away from his shoulders.

"Do not be afraid." The disembodied voice said. Hard for him to believe, he thought, tears starting at his eyes. The invisible hands on his shoulders gently rubbed, trying to calm him. The eyes blinked at him, a face slowly coming into focus.

It was a woman's face, with soft features, and pale skin. Pollux glanced at her, eyes wide. She was beautiful.

"W-Who are you?"

"I am a spirit. I have long lost my name." Her horns came into view. They curled around her head in gentle arches.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice quivering.

"I do not desire anything." She said, eyes softening as she spoke. They didn't look as leering and bright anymore. "I just wish to share this message with you."

"Methage?" he asked, blinking his big blue and red eyes.

"Listen carefully tomorrow, for something important will come your way." She began to fade. Pollux reached out for her but his hand slid right through her now see-through body.

He awoke drenched in a cold sweat.

Pollux looked around the room, sighing. He was in his bed in the infirmary, no one else in sight. The sun raged on the surface above, while everyone else slept. He sighed, laying back down, staring up at the ceiling. What did it all mean? What kind of message was that?

He lay awake for several hours before falling back asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

This story is also on my AO3 now.

/works/529644/chapters/938573

* * *

The next night proceeded as normal. He got up with the rest in his group and headed out for their first round of training. His headache returned about half way through the first set of lifts. He fell to his knees in the sand and raised his hand. His group leader looked furious with him, pulling him up by the horns and shoving him in the direction of the building. "Don't come out until you're better, 222." He grumbled, smacking his back on the way. Pollux stumbled forward, walking blindly towards the building. Once he was inside, the dim lights helped him get to the infirmary.

That's when he first heard it.

He grasped the sides of his head, his head filled with muffled, jumbled voices of screaming and crying. It was louder than any of the assemblies he had been to at his time there. The voices filled his head and blocked out everything else. He couldn't think, he couldn't concentrate on a single voice or his head would spin and he'd feel nauseated. He clutched his head tightly and wretched, shuddering. Another psionic passed by helped him to his feet and pushed him towards the infirmary. There, he was put under Willow's care.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" She asked, holding a waste receptacle by his bedside, just in case he got sick again. Pollux kept holding onto his head.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and silence took over.

"222, sweetie, talk to me." She said, patting his shoulder. She took a seat next to him. "What's the matter?" He looked up at her with big eyes.

"I know that look when I see it, boy." She said, brushing her thumb across his cheek. "Talk to me, what's up?" Willow offered a smile.

"I had a weird dream latht night." Pollux admitted. "A nightmare..." he frowned, biting his lower lip.

"Tell me about your dream." Pollux swallowed, gathering his thoughts.

"A lady came to me in my thleep and told me that I wath going to hear a methage. I don't underthand and I thtill don't underthtand." He frowned and sunk a little bit. Willow sighed.

"When I was talkin' a bit ago, did ya hear anythin' I said?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. Pollux quietly shook his head.

"You'll think ith crazy, but I heard a bunch of noithe. They were thcreaming and yelling...all thaying run and flee and hide. I don't underthtand at all..." He rubbed at his temples. Willow gently rubbed his back.

"Does your head still hurt? I can getcha some medicine if you want." She offered, giving him another comforting smile. Pollux shook his head.

"It thtingth a little but I think I feel okay...it's quiet now." He trailed off, hearing a loud thumping noise from above.

People were screaming.

Willow stood, alarmed. She hurried over to the door and threw it open. Group leaders were herding hundreds of young psionics down into the depths of the building.

"Drones! Drones!" Many were shrieking as they fled in a hurried panic towards the back part of the facility. Willow hurried over and picked Pollux up, carrying him out of the room, following the crowd of psionics. She ducked between some of them, taking him to another part of the building. She opened a tall steel door, walking inside, shutting it with a large thud. Pollux shivered, looking around wildly, his eyes glowing.

"222, can you make the light come on?" she asked, rubbing the back of his head. He nodded, flickering his psionics, the smell of static electricity rising as the light flickered on.

"We'll be safe here. Some of the other medical staff will be down here soon, I bet. We're safe." She rubbed his back and set him down.

"What'th going on?" Pollux asked, eyes wide, his tiny frame shivering. Willow slipped off her cloak and wrapped it around him.

"Hush child." She said, patting his head. "It will all be alright. Don't fret."

That didn't tell him anything. He felt alone, scared. Even when he was with her, he felt scared...confused.

* * *

It was hours before the screaming came to an end.

It was hours before the debris had been cleared and things were able to return to normal.

Willow and Pollux stayed down in the dank corridor with about a dozen others until the way had been cleared, and the door was pushed open. Even once the door had been opened, the air in the corridor rank of fear, psionics, and blood.

"Some fuckin' practical joke that was...does she not fuckin' know we have wrigglers here? Disgusting." One elder troll said, shuffling out towards the great meeting room.

"I've heard she doesn't care." Said another.

"I hear they killed them. Destroyed 'em. They're easy to kill if you know how." The elder troll shrugged. "it's a shame. So many died."

Death?

Killed?

Pollux felt sick to his stomach. He was tired of death.


	8. Chapter 8

This story is also on my AO3 now.

/works/529644/chapters/938573

* * *

Pollux spent the next few days in the infirmary. His headaches had gotten better, but his instructor was concerned about his health after what had happened. How kind, he thought. He figured the others had no feelings and would just simply shove him aside. The more he thought about it the more he realized that they took good care of him despite being rough on him. He sat in the dark, staring blankly at the wall across the room. People were talking outside the infirmary. It sounded like Willow. She was talking to someone, and it seemed to be a heated debate of some sort.

Pollux sighed and curled up under the covers, attempting to get some sleep. He couldn't make out words, but he hoped that things were going okay.

When he woke up, the room was filled with dim light and Willow was sitting at her desk in the corner again, writing something down. Pollux made a soft noise and sat up and Willow turned her attention to him.

"Well hello there." She smiled at him, getting up and going over to him, taking a seat at the foot of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine..." Pollux mumbled, keeping his voice soft.

"I'm glad." She ruffled his hair in a kind gesture, patting his cheek with a warm hand. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Thurprithe?" he asked, his eyes widening. "What kind of thruprithe?"

"Well get up and get dressed and I'll show you." She stood, returning to her desk. "There's a different outfit for you on your left. Change into that. I'll be back shortly." With that, she stepped out of the room, leaving Pollux to change.

The small troll pulled back the sheets, crawling out. He touched his bare feet to the ground and looked around. There to his left was a pile of clothing. It was a faint yellow color. He reached over and pulled it up. It looked like some kind of robe with a sash across the middle with his sign on it. He tilted his head and changed into it. It was a little bit big on him. The sleeves went down and covered his hands and the bottom dragged the ground. There was a hood on the robe that he pulled over his head, his horns fitting into holes cut for them. He glanced at himself in the mirror and frowned. He looked stupid.

Willow walked back in and smiled at him. "It's a little big, but it will do." She stepped up to him, patting his shoulder. "Come with me."

"Why do I have to wear thith thilly thing?" he asked, frowning.

"You will see soon enough. Come with me."

She led him to a part of the facility he had never seen before. They went down a great ramp in the center leading to another ramp. This one was long and spiral shaped. It led down to the bottom of the building, hundreds of feet below the surface of the desert above. It was cold. Pollux exhaled and he could see his breath as they slowly descended lower into the facility. Along the edges of the ramp there were long strands of lights illuminating the path before them in an eerie glow. Finally they reached the bottom.

Pollux stood at the beginning of a narrow hallway shrouded in torn tapestries. Lanterns made from paper hung from the lowered ceiling. The same string lights made a path towards the end of the hallway, which at this distance, was too dark to see. Willow patted him on the shoulder and turned to head back up the ramp.

"W-Wait! Don't leave me down here!" Pollux shouted, turning and running towards her. She swept him up in her arms, holding his tiny, frail body against her warm chest.

"Hush, child. You're safe here. There's someone you need to meet down there, and I can't go with you. S'not my place. Be strong, child." She gently set him down, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head. "Go on." She nudged his back and turned towards the ramp. When Pollux looked back she was gone.

It was the eerie silence that got to him. Every step he took echoed around him. The sound, only slightly muffled by the tapestries bounced around him. From further down the corridor, he heard faint whispers and giggles. He shivered, looking around him. He even felt as if he was being followed. He kept his psionics dancing at the corners of his eyes just in case.

After walking what literally seemed like forever to the small troll, he came upon a large door. He looked up as far as he could see in the dim light and it went up for what looked like to me miles. Right at head height was a knocker. He reached a tiny, bony hand out to it before a voice spoke from within.

"Come in."

Pollux hesitated, eyes wide. But, he hadn't even knocked! The voice came from inside once again.

"Come in. I don't have all night."

Pushing the heavy door open, the tiny psionic walked inside. It was dark inside, just like the rest of the hallway. The room was circular, several dark figures standing in the corners, with one troll sitting in the center, eyes wrapped with a piece of heavy cloth. Blind? Pollux was confused. How had they...He fumbled with the sleeve of his robe as the heavy door shut with a thud behind him.

"Come closer, wriggler. You've got nothing be afraid of." The troll in the center raised her hand and beckoned him over with a slim, bony finger. He stumbled closer, keeping watchful eyes on the other cloaked members of the circle. The troll leaned forward, brushing her finger across his cheek, making the small troll squeak in surprise.

"Hush now." She said, her voice soft. "I've heard a lot about you from Willow." A smile spread across her cheeks. "She's a very good friend of mine. We grew up together here." She moved her hand away from Pollux's face and patted the pillow next to her.

"Why am I here?" He asked, moving to go sit by her.

"You ask a very good question, my dear. Good. It's good to ask questions. Don't let anyone ever tell you different, you hear?" Pollux nodded. "Good. Now, allow me to explain."

"You may call me the Mentor. It is my title, given to me by my master, the leader of this facility. It has been a while since I have taught another young psionic my art. I am a prophet." She turned to him, smiling. Pollux looked very confused.

"A what?"

"I am a prophet. I tell prophecies based on what I hear and see."

"How can you thee if you're blind?" Pollux covered his mouth. "T-Thorry I didn't mean to thound rude..."

"Remember what I said about asking questions? It wasn't rude at all. Trust me." Patting his head she untied the cloth around her eyes. Pollux stared back at her with a blank expression.

"My eyes are like yours." She said, "Dual colored. It's a mutation. It's also a tell-tale sign of prophets. We see using our minds, instead of our eyes. It's rare to find a wriggler who has made it this far with eyes like yours."

"What do you mean?" Pollux sat on the edge of the pillow, wanting to know more.

"Well, most mutated grubs are slain in the caverns before they find a lusus. Sometimes, there's not a lusus to pick them, and they are slain then, right as they're seeing the moonlight for the first time." The young psionic cringed. He missed his lusus, even if he was about as bright as a bag of rocks.

"Tho...i'm lucky?" He asked.

"Yes, very." She smiled at him. "So lucky in fact, that you've been brought here to me so you can learn. I'll teach you how to deal with your headaches," Pollux visibly cringed at this, "And how to tell prophecies."

Night after Night, Pollux studied with the Mentor until his skills had become just as proficient as his teacher's. He learned quicker than any student she had before. Soon he was wearing robes made from a thick, warm material in the color of his blood. The robes were dyed a deep gold, his symbol expertly embroidered into the sleeves, and onto the sash across his waist. Even now, at nearly seven sweeps old, he was still small for his age. His horns had grown taller, his limbs lengthening out so he looked tall and lanky. He stood taller than his mentor by at least six inches, even when sitting next to her.

Each night young trolls who worked in the facility came down to have their fortunes read by the two psychics. Pollux would lightly run his fingers over their hand, feeling thoughts and emotions pass into his mind. He would whisper quietly, his psionics reaching out for an orb or a piece of glass. There, his mind would either etch the words of the prophecy into the glass or trap it inside the orb. The materials used would glow blue and red, the colors of his powers, and of his eyes. He would do this every day until he fell asleep in his place, and his mentor would tuck him in, letting him get his rest.

The next night however, things were different. He was woken up early, the sun just barely setting below the horizon.

"Pollux, wake up." She said, nudging him gently, to not startle him. "Your age group is being assembled. Come on."

He slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Athembled? Why?" He inquired groggily. She handed him a piece of fruit to eat. He bit into it, the juices running down his chin. He carelessly wiped his chin off with the back of his hand.

"There is a highblood coming to make his pick of your lot." She said, getting his cloak ready. "It's not every day a highblood as high as him comes to visit. You should feel honored."

"How high?" Pollux finished the fruit, setting the core aside, pulling his robe on over his head, tying the sash around his waist.

"A young admiral, a purple blood. He's a sea dweller. I'm sure he's looking for someone to clean his ship and do work for him, but you never know...I could never imagine an admiral needing a prophet." She nudged him with her elbow, making him stand up straight. "You'll never know though if you don't get your butt out there."

He didn't want to be someone's slave. He was perfectly happy staying where he was, giving prophecies to the trolls around him, staying with The Mentor. He didn't want to go, but he knew he had to. He scrambled up the stairs, heading towards the exit of the facility, where members of his age group were lined up, awaiting the arrival of the admiral.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you all so much for your patience. School has been kicking my butt.

you can find me on tumblr with the url **solluxbutt** if you want to know what's been going on in my life.

Thank you! Enjoy!

* * *

The air was heavy, if that was possible in the desert. The squawkbeasts loomed over head, even their cries silenced. The group of seven sweep old trolls stood in a neat line. Many of the seven sweep old trolls were tough and strong, their horns cracked from heavy psionic lifting. Many of the trolls were yellow bloods, there were a few lower yellow bloods, nearing the brown caste, then there were higher ones, reaching almost lime. Everyone knew limebloods went extinct many, many sweeps ago. Their purpose was clear to everyone, with the exception of Pollux, who was confused about a lot of things.

The ocean was a few miles north of the facility. The admiral would arrive any moment now by the loud motor vehicles. The sound of roaring engines was heard as several highbloods made their way in. Pollux shifted nervously, watching as the trucks were parked and the highbloods made their way to the front.

"Admiral." One of the officers bowed his head to the tall sea dweller. His skin glistened in the light of the moons. His gills fluttered in the faint breeze, the tips flushed a deep purple. The admiral held his hand up to the officer, and he stepped backwards, letting the highblood have his room. There were a few others, blue bloods, mostly stocky in body shape, not leaving much to the imagination. The admiral was different however. He stood tall, lean, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with narrow hips. He was a built swimmer, with broad fins standing out from his cheeks. His deep purple eyes glanced across the dozens of trolls standing in line. Many wore the same or similar jump suit, each embroidered with their symbol. Pollux stood out, eyes cast downwards, hood shielding his eyes from any stray glances.

The admiral was taking interest in this little one.

"Does an admiral get his first pick?" He spoke with a thick accent, hailing from the northern sea. The officers nodded and motioned for him to go ahead. "That one." He pointed to a cloaked psionic near the end of the line. Pollux looked up, horrified. A couple of officers pulled him out of line and towards the back of the building.

"That is all." The admiral said, turning and heading towards the back of the facility. Once there, he was able to get a good look at his new slave. He pulled the hood back, exposing the horrified psiioniic's eyes.

"Unusual." He said, placing his thumb against his cheek, tugging at the lower part of his eye. "normally pissbloods don't have eyes like this." He gave a flick to one of Pollux's smaller horns. "Nor horns like this." He flinched.

"He's been trained as a prophet. He's not a fighter." The officer with him said. "His brain is mutated I guess." Pollux sneered at the officer, which earned him a smack from his new owner.

"Don't sneer." The Admiral barked, glaring at him. "Now what paperwork do I have to fill out, how much do I owe, and when can I take him away?" The two trolls exchanged money, comments, and jeers. With a harsh tug, the Admiral yanked him along. He pulled a small jar of something out of his pocket, sticking his finger into the substance. He grabbed a great big glob of it before he forced Pollux's mouth open, shoving it inside, holding a hand over his mouth while the younger troll struggled and tried to snap at his captor.

"Swallow it, pissblood!" He snapped, smacking the side of his head. "I don't care if it tastes like shit! You're not blowing my fuckin' ship up!" Pollux winced, swallowing the jelly. It had a similar consistency to jelly, only thicker and much more viscous. It slid down his throat in one big glob. He turned his nose up and followed the highblood back to the motorized transportation device.

Several hours later, or at least what seemed like it to the tiny troll, they arrived at the pier. Everyone piled off and went their separate ways. Several of the other highbloods boarded other ships at the pier. Some went off on their own on foot. Pollux was left with the admiral.

"Listen here." He said, giving the psionic's shoulder a shove. "You will refer to me as Dualscar, do you hear me?" The tiny psionic nodded. "Good. Now grab yer shit and lets go."

* * *

The next few days were torture. Pollux spent the entire time closed up in the holding cell at the bottom of the ship. The mind jelly had worn off and he was sparking off and on. He sighed, sinking down into the corner. The seas were rough. Everything moved all the time, and he constantly felt sick to his stomach. He ate whenever another servant brought him food, and he bathed whenever he was taken out of his cell for long enough to be dumped with warm water. It wasn't long before the ship docked for supplies. Dualscar came down and personally looked after getting Pollux cleaned up. He was given a proper bath, and given clean clothes. He was dressed in a simple outfit of a loose fitting shirt and pants tied around the waist. Both were stamped with his symbol and his master's symbol.

"I'm going into town. You'll be coming with me, but I'm tying you to the dock. I have business to take care of." He said, tugging him up to the upper deck of the ship. The night was beautiful. The town was a small fishing town. Nothing exciting. People were standing around the pier, looking at the giant ship. It must have been abnormal news to have a huge ship parked there. They were gawking at the admiral as he stepped off the ship with his "companion."

Soon, Pollux Castor found himself tied to the pier next to the dock. He sighed, taking a seat. No one seemed to question it. They just gawked at Dualscar as he walked by, his long cape swishing behind him in the salty air. For a long time, he sat there alone until a troll about his age came by, sitting down with him.

"Whatcha doin' all tied up and stuff?" the troll asked. Pollux shrugged.

"My owner went into town to look for thomething. Thaid he had buithneth to take care of. Tho I'm thtuck here." He muttered, biting his tongue. The other seemed to giggle a little bit.

"Oh okay." He got up and started to walk away, which made Pollux sad. He glanced back towards the rope. It would be so easy to untie with his psionics...if he felt like it that was. Pollux was sure that if he somehow managed to escape that he'd get the beating of a life time. Dualscar just seemed like that kind of troll.

Hours passed. Dualscar still hadn't showed. A few kind trolls stopped by and fed Pollux, giving him scraps of bread and fish. He ate it with a smile, thanking them. Not long after, something amazing happened.

There was an elderly troll talking with him. Pollux was listening to the troll tell him about his life, and how Pollux reminded him of himself a lot. Then the old man reached out and touched Pollux's hand. The psionic gasped, his eyes wide opening wide. He felt a prophecy pass through his lips, muttered in a soft, ancient language. He felt around, finding a piece of stray glass on the ground. Using his psionics, he etched the prophecy for this elderly troll into the glass. The elderly troll looked at him, concerned, but Pollux handed him the small piece of glass.

"Thith ith for you. I don't know what it meanth, but ith a prophethy for you." Pollux said, putting it into his hands. "It hath meaning to you, and only you. Only you can underthtand the true meaning and when you do, it will come true." The old troll looked contemplative.

"You are a very special one." He said, reaching into his pocket, handing him some money. "You keep this. People will learn of your talent and flock to you if you stay here. You're one of a kind." With that he left. Pollux watched him leave. He was more confused than he had been in a long, long time.


End file.
